It's kind of embarrassing to admit how thrilling I find the release of a new Christi Taylor video to be; after all, my days of star-struck admiration should be long gone! Nevertheless, I detected a perceptible rise in adrenline when I heard about the Totallys, and couldn't wait to try them once they arrived.

What marvelous fun! I enjoyed all aspects of Totally Cool Step. The music, always such an important component of any Christi workout, is generously flavored with R&B favorites edged with a little rock and roll spunk. Christi leads six background exercisers; two ladies at the front demonstrate more advanced moves while the other four stay with more intermediate modifications a la Still Steppin'.

Six step combinations are taught in two separate segments of this 45 minute workout. The first combo is introduced in the warmup at a slightly slower tempo; the warmup also incorporates some dynamic stretches, and establishes a sense of momentum. It also clearly previews the predictably effective teaching style used throughout the workout.

In general, Christi blends her choreography intuitively within 8, 16, and 32 count blocks of music, and uses demonstration, practice, and review to build the combinations via add-ons. Advanced modifications are layered seamlessly, and have a perfect kinesthetic flow, sense of joy, and capacity for intensity--all of which make them seem challenging yet approachable. And they are all so much fun to do!

As always, Christi cues clearly, in perfect musical sync, and with contagious enthusiasm. Overall, this workout is not as choreographically difficult as Stage Two of Step Heaven or the second section of Still Steppin', but the trade-off allows for a greater concentration on building intensity. It's still intellectually challenging, and the fun quotient is way up there.

Instructor Comments:

lauraspark